Could anyone out there give me a little idea about the pros and cons of these types of boats? I know the sail plans are different. Looking for info about handling and performance etc. Thanks much Cheers

Mike, you'll find whole books were written about rig selection so a short post can only scratch the surface. Since almost every boat <13M/40' is a sloop these days, there's a widespread tendency (supported thru ignorance, I'll add) to dimiss split rigs (ketches, yawls & schooners). For that reason - and not because I think it is 'the' answer or even a suitable answer for all boats and all crews - let me make an observation about the ketch rig. When we chose a 42'/13+M boat for our long-distance cruising, we felt that its relatively low profile ketch rig made handling a boat of that size and displacement (11T) feasible for us. By the time we'd finished seeing the USA's east coast and then the Caribbean, that impression was reaffirmed and we viewed this relatively low-horsepower rig as an asset when we made plans for just the two of us to cross the Atlantic and cruise in the higher winds of N Europe. The sails were a bit smaller than with a sloop or cutter rig, we could use a 'turbocharger' (mizzen staysail, larger than the main) in lighter winds, and yet we could easily throttle down to little sail area (reefed jib and mizzen, or solent jib and reefed main) in heavy winds. There are lots of disadvantages, too. The cockpit is too busy with rigging wire, we have the weight & maintenance of two sets of spars vs. one, and we have more wires in the air yet need every one of them. However, in balance we feel fortunate to have a ketch rig, even tho' we started with the initial bias that the rig might be a liability of sorts.